§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Industry what has been the expenditure of the National Physical Laboratory for the last year for which figures are available and the scale of economies that have been ordered by his Department.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe net expenditure for the National Physical Laboratory in the financial year 1978–79 was £9.3 million. Approved staff numbers have already been reduced by about 4.5 per cent. in the life of the present Government, with a further 4 per cent. planned. This results in savings in direct
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Price movement between 1970 and 1979 Type of material 1979 share of total sales of packaging products by United Kingdom manufacturers (with 25 or more employees) Per cent. Item Percentges increaae Paper and board 44* Packaging products of paper, board and associated materials 254 Plastic (including polyethylene and polypropylene) 19 Synthetic resins and plastic materials 205 Metal (including tinplate) 23 Tinplate and blackplate 285 Glass 7 Glass containers 254 Other (laminates, wood., etc.) 7 — * Sales data for packaging products of paper and board is affected by a significant degree of duplication in respect of intermediate packaging products. annual staff salaries alone of £600,000 by 1981–82.